With computers and similar devices now becoming nearly ubiquitous, it is now more common for individuals to communicate with one another, hold meetings, study together, etc., using video conferencing or video chat capabilities of their computers. A video conference can be more convenient for the participants, less expensive and easier to arrange, especially when the participants are located remotely from one another. Common online video conference services include Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, Zoom, WebEx, etc.
During such a video conference it is common to share a document such that an electronic document that one participant has on his or her computer can be shared and thus viewed by other participants on the video conference. A participant may also desire to draw on his or her computer screen or document and have that drawing be viewed in real-time by the other participants, but, no suitable technology exists for such a shared electronic whiteboard that minimizes bandwidth of the participant computers. Further, it can be desirable to create a video of the drawings made upon a shared electronic whiteboard without having to consume the resources or bandwidth of a participant's computer in recording that video, storing it or transmitting it. Even further, it is desirable to create a video of an entire shared whiteboard session, including not only a video of the whiteboard itself, but also of the video and audio streams from the various participants. Additionally, it is also desirable for a simple technique to create video clips of a shared whiteboard session, again, without overly burdening a participant's computer. Unfortunately, the state-of-the-art has not progressed to the point where the above techniques are available.
Accordingly, improved techniques and systems are desired to provide videoconferencing with a shared, electronic whiteboard and that also provide for creating a video of the whiteboard, the entire session, or video clips of that session.